Israeli president opposes contacts with Europe's far-right

VIENNA – Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has told Jewish representatives that he strongly opposes contacts between his country's officials and European parties with a history of anti-Semitism.

Rivlin says he will "never condone" meetings between representatives of Israel and "European parties of the far right that are tainted with a history of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial ... or the promotion of racial hatred or intolerance."

Vienna's Jewish community emailed a copy to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Dated Dec. 20, the letter is in response to one sent in November by World Jewish Congress Vice President Ariel Muzicant and Oskar Deutsch, the head of Vienna's Jewish community, complaining about contacts between Austria's Freedom Party and Israeli political figures.

The party said Wednesday that it doesn't consider Rivlin's comments as applying to it.